Morning, everyone! I just got a note from a Chinese manufacturer of bincho-tan, Japan's infamous super-hard, super hot and slow burning charcoal. (Made in Laos--where else?!) Set me thinking about charcoal--and in particular, what types and brands of charcoal YOU prefer. What do YOU look for in charcoal? Brands? Sources? Photos? Thanks! SR

That sounds very interesting Steven!Where can we get that kind of charcoal?

I prefer lump charcoal and my favorite is “Wicked Good Charcoal” weekend worrier blend. Free Image HostingI look for lump charcoal that has nice size chucks, not much tiny pieces and dust, starts easy with minimal sparks and leaves very little ash behind. Also it has to burn long and hot, but the most important factor is the flavor it imparts. Wicked Good seems to meet most of these requirements.

I do a lot of grateless cooking, and all natural pure charcoal is a must. Since the meat is exposed directly to the radiating heat of the coals, and chemical or impurities could affect the taste. Free Image Hosting

For briquettes, I need a long-burning brand that doesn't generate a ton of ash, so Kingsford is out. I use Royal Oak and Sam's Club briquettes when I can find them. The generic Real Canadian Superstore brand works very well too.

For lump charcoal (which I use only for grilling), there are only two brands I use now, after trying a couple of dozen others. I either use Royal Oak lump, or Maple Leaf lump charcoal. The latter is made from pure maple and it burns screaming hot.

Unlike propane, you'll never wake up scorched and naked in another county because you mishandled a bag of briquettes.

That sounds very interesting Steven!Where can we get that kind of charcoal?

I prefer lump charcoal and my favorite is “Wicked Good Charcoal” weekend worrier blend. Free Image HostingI look for lump charcoal that has nice size chucks, not much tiny pieces and dust, starts easy with minimal sparks and leaves very little ash behind. Also it has to burn long and hot, but the most important factor is the flavor it imparts. Wicked Good seems to meet most of these requirements.

I do a lot of grateless cooking, and all natural pure charcoal is a must. Since the meat is exposed directly to the radiating heat of the coals, and chemical or impurities could affect the taste. Free Image Hosting

For briquettes I like Duraflame or Stubb's because they're reasonably easy to find, burn well, and don't create too much ash. Grove Charcoal (from Canada by way of Cedar Grove, WI) is my preferred lump because the local Piggly Wiggly carries it, although I have a bag of Chefmate (purchased at Target) to try.

In the trunk of my car is a bag of Kingsford Competition for tailgating (which explains why there's a Weber Go-Anywhere grill in there as well). It lights fast and produces a low volume of coarse ash, which is perfect for Miller Park parking lots. It also burns hot, which means I can grill 4-6 brats with a single layer of 12-15 coals.

I saw bincho-tan charcoal on an episode of "Simply Ming" and would love to give it a try!

If I'm grilling or cooking indirect on the Weber, I'll go with Kingsford as it provides pretty good heat. If I'm cooking low and slow, I go with the Trader Joes brand (aka Rancher). I get a good 6-8 hours per basket burn and it holds a pretty steady temp in my Char Griller.

I'm with Jimmy on the TJ's. It is my fav of all I find available to me. What I like is that it is all natural hardwood, without all those additives and chemicals. I cannot say that it is less in ash, but I do find that it imparts a significantly better nuance of flavor to food as compared to say, Kingsford. Cheaper, too, (usually)!

For briquettes I like Duraflame or Stubb's because they're reasonably easy to find, burn well, and don't create too much ash. Grove Charcoal (from Canada by way of Cedar Grove, WI) is my preferred lump because the local Piggly Wiggly carries it,

+1000I love Grove. It smells awesome when lighting. Burns hot and I can actually get some long burn times from it adjusting the dampers. I get the occasional 'sparklies' but not too often. I've tried some other hardwood lump but keep coming back to Grove. Years ago I would have to drive outside Milwaukee to get it but now ther are many places in town to get it which is nice.